


Try again

by LoneWolf97



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2020-09-26 08:43:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20386903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoneWolf97/pseuds/LoneWolf97
Summary: After failing to deliver Zym to the Dragon Queen and stop Viren and Aarovos, Callum is offered another chance to make things right.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another Dragon Prince fanfiction? What can I say? I have a fever. A dragon fever, haha (sorry, that was lame I know). This one is actually more light-hearted than the first one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am currently re-writing some of the chapters. Sometime later, I'll continue the story.

Callum kneeled down next to her. “Rayla,” he called timidly, scared beyond belief that his best friend was dead after she took a direct blast from the one who used to be Viren, now Aaravos’s puppet. He turned her over to face him and his heart shattered. Instead of the warmth, she had in her eyes whenever she looked at him, Rayla’s eyes were now glossed over and empty. “No. Rayla," he sobbed and hugged her body. "Why? Why did you do it, you idiot?!" he screamed in anger and grief as he rocked her.

A scared squeak caught his attention as he saw Viren’s body grab Zym as he was about to kill the little dragon.

“Aaravos!” he yelled as hate took over him.

Aaravos dropped Zym and turned to face him. Callum channeled all his powers into his body before dashing towards the dark mage. He moved so fast that Aaravos couldn’t react in time and he was hit with such power that the blast that resulted from the attack created a crater, his puppet turned to dust. Callum fell to the ground as the remaining of his strength had left his body. He looked at his arms and saw that they have been burnet to a crisp. He was no doctor, but he could tell that his arms couldn’t be saved. Not that he cared about that anymore.

They had failed. _He had failed_. Aaravos killed the Queen of the Dragons and the elves and dragons will wipe out humanity. The last thing he could do was hope that Ez will somehow survive, but it was a fool’s hope. He turned his head to look at Rayla. _If I die, I should die looking at something beautiful_. He had been a fool not to notice all the little signs all this time that she loved him. The worst part is that she died, not knowing he returned her feelings. She had told him yesterday and being the idiot that he was, he left her hanging, letting her think he didn’t feel the same way. It took him some time, but he eventually figured his feelings out. He loves her. He will always love her. And, now he will never be able to tell her.

He wasn't sure when he blacked out, but he regains consciousness when he felt something wet against his face. With some effort, he opened his eyes and saw Zym looking at him worriedly.

“Zym," he croaked before a coughing fit wracked his body, blood oozing from his mouth. "Go, get out of here. Find the elves, they would protect you."

Suddenly, a shadow came and grabbed the dragon prince towards a cloaked figure. “I’m afraid I cannot let you go, little dragon,” said the figure as he stepped towards the fallen prince.

“Aaravos,” growled Callum.

“Such a shame,” the mage said, looking with pity at the young man dying on the ground. “You had so much potential. If only you had become my apprentice, you and your friend will have lived. However, I am not without mercy. I will end your suffering now,” he said and drew the _Fulminis _rune. Callum closed his eyes, accepting his fate. The last thing he heard was the thunder.

* * *

He found himself floating, all his pain was forgotten. He didn't want to go meet the others, he couldn't bear the looks of disappointment looks he would get from all the people he loved and failed.

_If I could do it all over again._

**You can.**

_What?_

**You can do it all over again if you want to, but there is a price to be paid.**

_What price? I don’t want anyone to be hurt because of my decision._

**Do not worry, we would collect only from you and no one else. Do you accept?**

_Yes._

* * *

Callum groggily opened his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the light. He looked up, expecting to see the open sky only to stare at a stone ceiling.

_What?_

Standing upright, he realized that he was in his old room, at Katolis Castle. The next thing he realized is that his injuries from the battle were gone like they never happened in the first place. He pulled off his shirt and saw that the faint scar across his chest he received from one angry Moonshadow elf in Xadia also vanished.

“Moring Callum,” his brother said with a smile. Callum immediately hugged his little brother, happy beyond description to see him. “Uh, Callum? Are you okay?” asked the little boy concern.

Callum sniffed, trying to hold back the tears. “Yeah. I’m fine don’t worry. Just a bad dream. Ez, what date is today?”

“It’s May 6th,” replied the boy confused.

Callum nodded. _So, this confirms that I wasn’t dreaming_. _Tomorrow, the Moonshadow elves will come. _She _will come_. “Ez, I need you to cover for me today. Tell them I’m sick or something.”

“Why?”

“Just do this for me. I’ll make it up to you later.”

Ezran stared at Callum for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”

"Thanks, Ez. I own you one."

When his brother left for his lessons, Callum began to devise a plan for the journey he would take to change the outcome of the world. To do this, he will need to change several specific events that took place in the previous timeline. It took a couple of hours but he made up a plan.

The Katolis part of the journey will remain pretty much the same, with only a few notable changes. The Xadia part is the one where most changes have to be made. First off, they needed to avoid being spotted by Sol Regem. The dragon tried to kill them on the spot, and even after they showed Zym. And even after they escaped from his wrath, he sent his minions after them. It was only after the dragon he and Rayla rescued returned and vouched for them traveling across Xadia became much easier. The time they wasted hiding in caves helped Viren and Aaravos to achieve their goal. They also needed to avoid being captured in Moonshadow territory. They were nearly killed again if not for Ethari. Oh, that reminded him that they should stay clear from all lakes while in Moonshadow territory since they populated by sirens. He winced when he remembered his encounter with them. _We should stock on the water while we are in Sunfire territory_.

Next came the issue with him learning magic. While he managed to connect with the other arcanum, the fact that they were pressed for time interfered with him learning many spells. He learned a fireball spell, how to manipulate the earth to his will and how to increase his speed using air. He didn’t learn any Moonshadow magic or how to cast illusions, but he learned how to see through them.

Lastly, he needs to influence the events that took place in Katolis to delay Viren. While in Xadia he had received news from home. Viren had been imprisoned, but managed to escape eventually, but not before creating some shadow elves to terrorize the other human kingdoms. Ezran stalled as best as he could, but eventually, the kingdoms attacked the border. Eventually, it was proven that Viren was behind the attacks when the elves responsible for these terror attacks returned to him. Sadly, the damage has been done, Xadia and Pentarchy were both in disarray, allowing the dark mage to slip into Xadia undetected to free his master. When Aaravos was released all hell broke loose. The arch-mage arrived first at the keep of the Dragon Queen and murdered her without any issues using Viren’s body to blame the humans.

A knocked on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. “Callum, are you okay?” asked Claudia from behind the door.

The young prince sighed. The matter of Claudia was a complicated one. While he understood why she was loyal to her father, her betrayal had hurt him deeply. The fact that she helped him escape didn't help at all. Still, they had been friends for a long time and despite everything, he still wanted to save her. He would think how to do it later, but right now he didn't want to deal with it, or her.

“I’m fine, just a little tired,” he responded.

She entered the room without his permission. Back in the day, he wouldn't have minded at all, but now he didn’t like it one bit. “Are you sure are you okay?” she asked concerned.

When Callum calmed down he would remember this conversation and realized that her concern is real, that she truly cared for him. “Yes, I’m fine. Now, would you please go, I need to rest,” he said with a bite in his tone.

The dark mage apprentice blinked in shock, he never talked to her like that. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’ll leave you in peace,” she said sadly as she closed the door.

The prince let out a frustrated sigh and decided to draw something to relax. Several hours later he had completed several drawings of Rayla in different possess he had seen her in their travels. A sad smile appeared on his face, he misses her dearly.

“Hey,” greeted Ezran as he entered the room.

“Hey.”

“Claudia told me how you snapped at her today. Is this some kind of teenage related stuff?” asked the kid innocently.

Callum chuckled. “Maybe,” he said with a smirk. “Thanks for covering for me today.”

“No problem,” the younger boy said as he laid on the bed. “I still want an explanation.”

“And you’ll get one, later.”

“Honestly, I would settle for a jelly tart now.”

Callum laughed. He had missed his little brother just as much as Rayla.

“I’m serious.”

That night Callum went to bed early to get a good rest. Tomorrow was the day his life would change forever, again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I didn't expect that I would get such positive feedback on such short notice. Thank you, all of you. Well here's chapter 2 of Try again. I'll update The price of peace tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.  
I remember you Classic_Cowboy from you Kim Possible fanfics on Fanfiction.net. You are a legend.

The next day, Callum did the events that happened to the latter. He had contemplated showing Soren what Rayla taught him about sword fighting. The older boy would have been caught off guard enough that Callum could have his first-ever victory against him, but he decided against it. He didn't need to draw attention to himself. Right now, his biggest fear was that he would mess something up and accidentally run into Rayla earlier or Ez being found by her earlier or, worse, ran into Viren and his children. Now he stood before the door that leads to the Throne Room. This part will be the hardest thing he ever had to do in his life. He had his talk with Harrow, his _last _talk with his father.

He hugged the Harrow, tightly. He didn’t want to let him go. “Dad, come with me,” he said. He could blast his way into his chamber later tonight, but then what? The assassins would come after them and Callum couldn’t beat them all at once, even if Rayla helped him. He sat and thought about how to save his father and this was the only way. If he were to come with him now, then he would live and stop Viren.

Harrow was surprised to hear his step-son call him dad, but also very happy. "Callum, I can't. I have a responsibility for my people and I must pay for my sins," he said with a sad smile. Callum kept clinging to him for a few moments before he was gently pushed back. "Take care of your brother, son," said Harrow and Callum nodded.

He walked slowly towards the door, feeling devastated. Even though he managed to say his goodbye and let Harrow know he considered him his father, Callum grieved.

As he walked the castle’s halls, he felt the hairs on his back of the neck stand. He smiled. “You can’t sneak up on me,” he said and it was true. Rayla or any other elf who didn't use a spell to mask their magical presence could never sneak up to him. A Sunfire mage said that it was because he had an affinity for all Primal Sources energy, he could sense it in other beings. He turned and there she was, in all her beauty. He had come to love her soft, white hair, her complexion that matched her beautiful amethyst eyes. Oh, how he wanted to hug her, to feel her warmth again, but he knew he couldn’t. She didn’t know him, yet. Instead, he simply smiled dumbly at her.

“What are you smiling at human?” she hissed a pointed one of her blades at him.

“Sorry, I just tend to smile like an idiot whenever I see something beautiful,” he said with a smirk.

She blushed and her eyes widened in disbelief. He found it cute, but also sad that no one told her how beautiful she is. He would have to rectify that. "F-flattery will get you nowhere human. I'm looking for someone if you tell me where they are I'll let you live."

“Did you check under there?” he asked and pointed towards the curtain.

As expected, Rayla looked and he put it over her. Then the chasing around the castle began. Callum never once thought that he was in danger, in fact, he had fun in this little game of catch, especially since he was faster than her now. He would slow down a bit to let her catch up to him only to sprint when she got too close. Eventually, they reached Viren’s chamber and then she chased him and Ezran down the castle’s tunnels until they arrived in Viren’s lab and found the egg of the Dragon Prince.

“What I don’t understand is how the egg here is? I thought it was destroyed,” said Callum to make Claudia reveal herself.

And she did exactly just that. “Because my father saved it,” she said as she came into view. “Callum, Ezran, get behind me.”

“Your father didn’t save it, he stole,” Rayla accused.

“That’s a lie!”

“Then what is it doing here, Claudia?” he asked, a hint of accusation in his tone.

He listened to her explanation, but it was poor one. Eventually, Ezran sided with Rayla and led her away. Claudia prepared to cast _Fulminis_ only for Callum to push the stone out of her hand and chained her.

“Callum, what are you doing?” she asked shocked as he grabbed him with her free hand.

Before he couldn't bear to look her in the eyes, ashamed and scared of what he did, but now he stared at her. "The right thing," he said with determination and grabbed the stone before leaving. As he caught up with the Rayla and Ezran, Callum heard the howls of the shadow wolves. “There is something following us,” he said and Rayla stopped and turned back. "No! You can't fight them, they are made of smoke. Get behind me," ordered the prince stunning the elf that she listened.

The wolves approached them and Callum quickly drew the _Aspiro _rune and cast the spell, blowing the wolves away.

“You never mentioned you were a mage,” commented Rayla.

Callum smirked. “I didn’t know I was one until a few moments ago.”

“That was amazing!” exclaimed Ezran.

The older prince smiled. “Yeah, it was. Now, let’s keep moving. Ez, you know the way out, so you lead us.”

The trio made it to the roof, where Rayla tried her best to convince Runaan to call off the mission. Even when they revealed the egg of the Dragon Prince, Runaan still didn't back down. Callum was pissed off. The older assassin was presented with a chance to avoid the deaths of his comrades and all elves in the future and he would throw it away because of some tradition.

He couldn’t take it anymore, he exploded. “What the hell is the matter with you?!” he snapped, surprising everyone. “Here is your chance to save lives and you choose to take life instead? What do you think killing the King and his heir would accomplish? Nothing except all-out war between humans and elves. A war that would cost the lives of not only humans but also of elves and dragons."

“You are as ignorant as you are arrogant, human. You started this war when you murdered the Dragon King and kidnapped his heir. This is justice!” snapped back Runaan

“You are right, we killed the Dragon King and stole his egg, but don’t act like you’re better than us. You exiled an entire people because of one person! No trail or presumption of innocence!”

“You created something unholy and abhorrent! Your exile was well-deserved as is the death that awaits King Harrow and his offspring!”

Callum sighed, there was no getting through the elf. “This is your last chance. Call off the mission, or die.”

“Are you threatening me, human?” growled Runaan as he notched an arrow on his bow.

“No, just warning you. There is an entire battalion here to protect the King. Maybe you will succeed in killing him, but you won’t make it out alive.”

“Enough talk! Just hand me the egg!”

Rayla drew her blades and assumed a defensive stance before Callum and his brother. “Callum, Ezran go,” she instructed.

Callum nodded. “Be safe,” he said and took his brother and left.

The events that followed remained the same as the original timeline: Callum went to warn his father, got caught by Viren, the elves attacked and he fled. Despite having done this, it still wasn’t easy for Callum to let his father die. He contemplated once again if he should blast his way out with him, but when he heard his little brother calling out to him and saw both him and Rayla looking for him he made a decision. He couldn’t risk their lives trying to save his father. One life for two. It was a cold fact that left a bitter taste in his mouth but, with a heavy heart he accepted it. And so, the trio fled the kingdom and began their adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

They had arrived at the Winter Lodge the next morning. In the original timeline, Callum had used his aunt's prejudice that elves were monsters to escape, which had hurt Rayla greatly. At the time he didn’t understand what it was like to be viewed as a monster, to not get the chance to prove yourself. When he entered Xadia however, he understood how Rayla felt at that moment. No matter what he said or did, the elves treated him like a murdered. Even after everyone knows that they were delivering Prince Azymondias they still gave him death glares and were reluctant to teach him magic. He realized that it was still a long way until elves and humans would truly be friends. And he would make the first step. He told his aunt everything, what had happened in the castle, Harrow’s fate, Viren’s betrayal. He was grateful that his brother and Rayla didn't know sign language since he didn't want to give himself away just yet. He asked his aunt to stall Viren as long as possible without putting herself at risk. She wanted to arrest Viren but told her not to. It would be a bad idea to attack him now with Claudia and Soren at his side since he might escape. Viren will be imprisoned and that will buy Callum a lot of time, but later. He also told his aunt to send Corvus after them and to attack Rayla when she was alone. That had surprised his aunt, but she accepted without much explanation. Callum hated that he had to this, made him feel that he was no better than Viren but there wasn’t any other way. They needed to go up that mountain, they needed to drop the egg into the frozen lake, they needed to visit the moon mage so Zym would be born so that he could rip the bind around Rayla’s hand to save it. He didn't know how, but the little dragon managed to save her hand, whether he is that powerful already or has some latent anti-magic ability. The trip up the mountain also strengths their trust. Amaya ordered the troops to stand down, making the young adventures relax. He gave the young princes a bear hug and sighed to Rayla.

“If something happens to my boys, I swear I’ll…” Gren translated, letting the rest of the sentence linger, obviously uncomfortable. Callum grimaced at what she sighed. Hir aunt can sure paint a mental picture.

“I swear they will come back unharmed,” Rayla said.

Amaya smiled and nodded. Callum sighed more and Amaya sighed to have an arrow brought to her and handed it to Callum.

“Rayla, I need you to cut one of your braids,” he said.

“What? Why?”

“We need to make it look like there was a fight here. I’ll explain it later, I promise.”

Rayla did as she was told. The trio got on the boat and was about to sail down the river when Amaya sighed to Callum with a smirk. ‘Since when do you have a crush on the elf?’

Callum blushed but smiled. ‘It's a long story. I'll tell you later, I promise. Be careful around Viren. I love you.’

‘And you be careful in Xadia. Take care of your brother. I love you too.’

* * *

Almost two days later, the group found themselves in a cave trying to warm up. The following days had gone exactly like back in the original timeline. The boat ride, the trekking up the mountain, the egg falling in the cold lake, Rayla coming clean, well for the most part. Not like he could blame her, how can you tell your friend his father is dead.

_How am I going to tell Ez that Dad is dead?_

Another thing he would have to deal with later. This time he won’t let Corvus tell his brother about their father. He deserves to hear from family.

“So, are going to tell me why you needed my braid for?” asked Rayla, breaking the silence.

“I need to make it look like we were kidnapped because there are some people in the capital who wouldn’t take kindly to us associating with an elf,” he said and it was technically true. He couldn’t really tell her that he left the braid for Claudia and Soren to find them. At the Moon Nexus, he would attempt to convince his friends to join him, though he wasn't sure that he would succeed. Still, he needed to keep the siblings away from their father.

“But you’re a prince and future king!”

The prince shook his head. “No, I’m not related by blood to King Harrow, only Ezran is. He will be king when the time comes. I’m just a step prince. My word holds no weight in court. If they find out that Ez has elf friends, his claim on the throne will be brought to question and there is one person who would use that to have the throne.”

“Who?”

“Viren, the kingdom’s High Mage. The one who killed the Dragon King and stole his egg,” he said and watched the scowl forming on Rayla’s face.

_Viren is in big trouble if he ever meets Rayla._

“Until we have some sort of peace between humans and elves, we can’t let word out that we follow you voluntarily.”

“I understand.”

“Thank you. We should get some rest, we have a long day tomorrow.”

* * *

The next day the group plus Ellis and Ava climbed up the Cursed Coldera. When they encountered the huge leech, Callum had to force himself to scream in terror. After all, how can you be afraid of something that isn’t there? The plan he had come up with failed at first, just as he wanted, giving Ezran and Rayla the chance to talk. He didn’t know exactly what they talked about, but Rayla seemed better after it.

“Are you alright?” asked Ellis

“Yeah, I’m fine. You?”

“You don’t seem very devasted that your plan failed.”

He shrugged. “No plan survives contact with the enemy, or so the saying goes.”

The little girl gasped. "You wanted this outcome."

Callum smirked. “I’ll let you in on a secret: that monster is not real.”

“What? How can you tell?” asked Ellis confused.

“Its image flickers. That thing is an illusion created by the one who resides atop the mountain.”

“And why didn’t you tell us that sooner?”

“I wanted to work on our group dynamic. See how well we mash and what needs improvement. I thought this would be a good opportunity.”

“You still should have told them.”

The prince sighed. “You’re right. I’ll tell them everything later. For now, please keep this a secret.”

Ellis nodded. “Okay.”

“Thank you.”

“There is no miracle healer,” said Ezran shocking Rayla and Ellis.

Callum kneeled down and put his hand on his shoulder. “We can’t go back now Ez. We need to keep moving forward and hope that everything will be alright,” he said.

Ezran didn’t seem convinced but nodded. As the group walked moaning could be heard. The little prince believed someone was in danger and convinced Rayla to go and investigate.

Callum grabbed her arm. “Don’t,” he said. “We need to keep moving.”

“But there could be someone there,” protested Ezran.

Callum turned to face him. “Ezran, do you trust me?”

“What?” asked the little prince confused.

“Do you trust me?” asked his older brother, this time his tone was a bit hard.

“Of course I do.”

“Then trust me when I tell you this, no one is there. Keep moving.”

The group pressed on until the giant spider ambushed them making all but Callum take cover. Callum stared at the giant spider, unimpressed by its screeches and shrieks. Moments later, Ezran stood behind him.

“When did you figure out something was wrong?” asked his little brother.

“Since the leech,” he lied.

The moon mage finally showed herself, explained who she was, what she did to Ava and explained how to save Zym. Callum waited for that moment and after telling everyone to brace themselves he smashed the Primal Stone, he won’t be needing that anymore. After Zym was born and Rayla’s hand saved everyone relaxed and stared at the purple lights falling from the sky around them. All but Callum. Because he knew what those lights meant. It meant that he was half-way through the Katolis part. It meant that Claudia and Soren are coming.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are excited about Season 3? I can hardly wait! I already thought about how season 3 is going to go in my stories but I might use things from the original season 3. And I know that on this fic I've sped run through Katolis, but that is over now. From now on everything will be at a normal pace.

Callum walked around the Moon Nexus ruins with Lujanne as she told him about the moon druids and this place.

“Excuse me Lujanne. While the history lesson is fascinating I was hoping to learn some moon magic,” said the young prince when the moon mage stopped explaining.

“Humans can’t do magic.”

Callum smirked before performing _Aspiro_. The young prince had to stifle his laugh when he saw Lujanne’s jaw drop and gaped at him in awe. “How…?” she asked astounded.

“It’s a long story,” he said and told the moon mage everything.

“I see,” she said as she composed herself. “While I understand why you accepted that deal, the fact remains that making deals with spirits is dangerous.”

“So, that thing was a spirit?”

“Yes, and a very powerful one if it can send you back in time. Not much is known about spirits since we have no way of knowing what lies beyond.”

“I can tell you that: nothing, just darkness.”

"Hmm, I'm not so sure. If there was nothing beyond then how could a spirit send you back in time? I guess that you were about to cross when the spirit intercepted you. It didn't tell you what it wants from you, did it?"

“Just that I would have to pay a price."

“I see. That is troubling indeed.”

"I don't see why. As far as I'm concerned, if the people I care about are safe then I will do whatever the spirit asks."

Lujanne looked at him with a look he couldn't decipher. "While I can understand the need to protect the people close to you, you shouldn't forsake yourself. What if the spirits ask you to throw away all your human emotions and become their servant? Then everything you fought for would be meaningless."

"I don't care what happens to me if they are safe and happy. And if pain is my fate, then so be it," Callum proclaimed as determination burned inside of him.

_Ah, the naiveté of youth. Still, it’s better than becoming jaded by the world._ Lujanne shook her head. “We’re wasting time debating this. You said that you are on a time limit?”

“Yes. At midnight two more humans will arrive here. They will try to persuade me and Ez to return home. I need to learn as much moon magic as I can before they arrive.”

“Very well, let’s get started.”

It had taken them the rest of the day, but eventually, Callum had managed to learn all that it was about moon magic. He can now cast a huge variety of illusions and see through any illusion thrown at him. He also learned how to enhance an item that would cast an illusion on the wearer, just like the necklace Lujanne gave Ava. The moon mage gave him some bracelets that he could use for that spell. Furthermore, he also learned how to change his aura to confuse creatures. Humans and elves have different auras and the auras between elves are different from ethnicity to ethnicity. _That would come in handy in getting past Sol Regem and other sentries._

* * *

Callum's feelings for Claudia were complicated at best. While he didn't love her anymore, he still cared about her and wanted to be happy. That's why this day he will do everything in his power to convince her to let them go. So, he showed her around the Moon Nexus.

“Yeah, I wonder what all these runes do,” he said as they looked at the runes in Lujanne’s meditation chamber.

“They’re probably incredible spells,” theorized Claudia.

“Is it true that humans can’t do magic without a primal stone?” Callum asked as innocently as he could.

“Of course not! We _can _do magic," she said as she pulled out her spellbook.

“I meant Primal Magic, not Dark Magic.”

“And what’s wrong with Dark Magic?” she asked, quite peeved.

_I have to be careful here_. “Well, from what I’ve heard humans were exiled from Xadia because of Dark Magic. And to make it work you need to sacrifice creatures with magic inside them.”

“Well, you aren’t entirely wrong. Yes, humans were exiled from Xadia because of Dark Magic, but that’s because the dragons and elves were afraid of our power. And while you’re right that Dark Magic takes magic from other creatures, here’s how I see it: humans weren’t born with magic. We were born with nothing. But we still found a way to do amazing things. That’s what Dark Magic is really all about.”

“But what if we could do magic, Primal Magic, not Dark Magic,” said Callum hopefully.

“That’s impossible. We weren’t born with a connection to the Primal.”

“True, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t make our own connection.”

“Hmm, I suppose that, in theory, we could do that,” she mused. “But how do we do that?”

_I have an idea, but I’m not about to share it just yet._ “Don’t know. It’s something I’ve thought about. But if we can connect to the Primal, then we wouldn’t need Dark Magic.”

"'wouldn't need Dark Magic'?" she asked with a chuckle. "You've spent too much time with those elves, Callum. Even if humans learn how to connect to Primal, we would still need Dark Magic, because it has more properties than just allowing us to cast spells. With it, we can heal grievous injuries and it may be the path to immortality. Think about Callum, we could live as much as the elves, maybe outlive them.”

Callum did think about it. He knew that Rayla would outlive him and be alone. He had thought about it how nice it would be to spend their life together, to grow old together. But the thought of sacrificing innocent beings made him sick and Rayla would never want that. “But’s still wrong. We would hurt innocent creatures!”

“It’s no different than hunting, Callum,” explained his former crush as if she was talking about the weather.

It was at that moment that Callum knew that there was no way he would be able to convince her now. She was too headstrong to change. But he was also headstrong and so he will keep trying until he succeeded. He will save her too because she deserved happiness, everyone does.

* * *

The rest of the day went on just like last time with no results, not that Callum was surprised. He had given up trying to convince her here. But there is something he can do at the frontier that even if it wouldn’t change her mind, it can still give her pause. Right now he was alone with her, at the point in time where she had returned the letter from his dad, something he will eternally grateful for. He hugged her close, saying goodbye.

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” he whispered softly, with meaning.

“You’re right. We can come with you,” she said with a bright smile, completely missing Callum’s meaning.

Callum smiled, but deep down, he was hurting. _To think that such a long time friendship could be destroyed in a second._

* * *

The group was on Captain Villads’s ship. They had managed to escape Claudia and Soren with the help of Corvus. Right now they were on their way to the frontier having waited for the storm to subside. Callum still ventured into the storm so that he could jump-start Zym’s lightning abilities. For now, all he could do is give zappy kisses, but in a few years he would live up to the title of Dragon Prince.

For now, Callum enjoyed some peace and quiet with Bait as he read the letter from his dad, this time for the last time. He read it slowly, making sure he didn’t miss anything, hearing his adoptive father’s voice in his head. Once he was finished he cried softly. Bait offered as much comfort as he could which the prince was thankful.

_I wish I wasn't so distant, I wish I wasn't so afraid to cross the gap between us. I'm not going to ask to go back and relive those moments with you. I've already been given a second chance. That would be too selfish of me. But I promise this, I'll make sure Ezran will have a happy and long life. So, don’t worry about a thing Dad._

* * *

They had arrived at the frontier. Rayla had been gone to save the fire dragon for a while now. He sighed and stood up. The time has come to show his ace. He had thought about it during the flight with Phoe-Phoe and his sailing to here and realized that it was the only choice left. Using Dark Magic again to escape will definitely kill him since he had rejected it. Besides, there is no point in hiding anymore. From this point on, they will be beyond Viren’s reach. Plus, this is the only thing he could do that would convince Claudia. And while he was well aware that she could warn her father, it will too late since he would already beef up his arsenal of spells against the Dark Mage. The one he was really worried about was Aavaros. The elusive Archmage could also all kinds Primal Magic as well as Dark Magic. Not to mention he could use a Primal Magic that Callum doesn’t have access to, Star Magic. To learn such powerful magic, the prince needed a Startouch elf as his teacher, but except for Aavaros, Callum didn’t know another one. Callum sighed once more, yet another bridge to cross when he got there. For now, he needed to save Rayla and the dragon.

“She doesn’t have to,” he said as he made his presence known.

“Callum! You’re safe!” exclaimed Claudia, relieved.

Callum looked at her with an impassive gaze before drawing an earth rune on the ground, shocking everyone. “_Vineas!”_ he exclaimed and vines erupted from the ground that broke the chains that held the dragon down.

Despite her shock, Rayla wasted no time in trying to make the dragon stand up and leave, only to be stopped by Soren. Knowing what was about to happen, Callum drew an air rune. “_Celeritas!_” he cast and as fast as the wind, he grabbed Soren and Rayla and moved them away from the raging dragon, before putting himself in front of it. “I didn’t release you so that you could go on a rampage. Leave, now!” he ordered as he met the dragon’s angry gaze with a glare of his own.

Callum could tell that the dragon wasn't going to listen to him, but fortunately, Zym appeared and convinced the dragon to leave. With a bow to the Dragon Prince, the dragon took to the sky and returned to Xadia. Callum let out a relieved sigh and turned towards Claudia, Ezran, Soren and Rayla who were looking at him in shock and awe. The rest of the guards had fled when the dragon woke up.

“How…?” Claudia said as she was the one who regained her voice first.

Callum smiled. "It doesn't matter right now. What matters is that this proves that humans _can_ use Primal Magic without a Primal Stone. Don't you understand what this means? Humans and elves aren't that different. We can finally have peace! Claudia, Soren you must realize that your father is only going to bring a bloody war. Don't let him do it! Please!" he pleaded and he could see the conflict that was brewing within the siblings.

Realizing that there was nothing more he could do to convince the siblings now, he grabbed his traveling companions and sped towards their temporary camp.

“How did you…?” Rayla started to talk when they arrived at their camp only to realize that Callum wasn't looking at her, but at something past her shoulder.

“Hello, Corvus,” said Callum with a polite nod.

“Prince Callum,” said the man with a small bow. He looked at Ezran and got down on his knees.

“Corvus, stop!" Callum ordered as he understood what the man was about to do.

“Prince Callum?”

“I will tell him myself.”

“Callum, what’s going on?” asked his little brother confused.

Callum smiled sadly at him and got to his eye level. “Ezra, I’m sorry. I have kept things from you. I’ve done so because I thought it would keep you safe. Now, I’m wondering if I should have just told you the truth,” he said and thought back to his last talk with his dad. _Is this how it feels to be a grown-up? Making decisions that you will regret or doubt later?_ “I promised that I will tell you everything, but first there is something you should know. Ezran…Dad is…he is gone Ezran…”

“Gone? As in?” asked the little boy as dread formed at the pit of the stomach. That dread was amplified when Callum gave a single solemn nod, the older boy looking like was about to cry. Ezran couldn’t take this as he ran away crying, ignoring his brother’s calls.

“Shouldn’t we go after him?” Corvus asked.

“No, he’ll come back. He needs time to cool off.”

* * *

A half-hour later, Corvus left to look for Ezran. Callum wasn’t worried, he knew his brother will return safe and sound. Instead, he thought back on his decisions. While he stood by most of his decisions, there were a few that he doubted. Different what-if scenarios came to his mind and drove him crazy. He didn't know how to deal with that.

“You’ve got some explaining to do,” Rayla said as she sat next to him, her tone booking no excuses.

“I know,” he responded softly, unable to look at her. He had never thought about the consequences of his actions until now.

“You lied to us Callum, to _me_,” she said and the hurt in her voice ripped his heart apart. He realized now that he could lose her, something that scared him more than death.

"I didn't lie. I just…kept the truth to protect you and Ez,” he defended weakly.

“Oh, is that so?” she asked sarcastically. “Protect us from what? From knowing you were already a powerful human mage? Who was your teacher anyway? And who did you connect to the Arcanum?”

“I didn’t want Viren to find out that I can use magic. If he knew, he would send more people after us than just Claudia and Soren or just come himself after us. We are no match for him at the moment. I need him in the castle until I can learn more spells. And as for how I learned magic, I’ll explain everything once we cross the border.”

“You better,” she said, still angry at him.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I could have told you, but not use my powers."

Because he was facing away from her, he didn't see how her expression softens for a moment. "Well, thanks. But I still want a full explanation."

“And you’ll get one, once we cross the border.”

“Why not now?”

“Because we’re out of time,” he said and pointed to Corvus and Ezran approaching.

Callum pulled his little brother aside and told him everything. “Now, everything makes sense,” said Ezran after Callum finished explaining.

“Ezran, I’m sorry. I should have told you everything from the start. I thought I was protecting you, I thought to myself if Viren found out, everyone will be in danger,” said Callum with regret.

“I think I understand, but I’m still mad at you. I feel like you don’t trust me at all.”

“That’s not true! I trust you with my life Ezran. That’s why I didn’t protest when you went back to the castle to take up dad's role. I had faith in you that you’ll be fine.”

“I’m still mad, you know?”

“I know. What can I do to make it up to you?”

“I think you know,” replied Ezran with a smile.

Callum smiled back and performed his famous Jerkface dance, making Ezran and Rayla laugh at him, while Corvus stared at him with a mix of confusion and amusement. “Okay, I forgive you,” said the little king as he settled down his laughter. “But what are you going to do about Rayla?”

Callum looked over at Rayla, who was staring off into the valley. Her expression was one of contemplative, mixed with sadness. It broke Callum’s heart. “I know she’s upset and suspicious of me. I probably lost her trust. I will explain everything to her when we cross the border and hope she’ll forgive me.”

“You really love her don’t you?” quite marveled at the sight of his brother's love. It sounded just like the stories he heard about the love between his dad and mom.

"Yeah, I do. I hate that I hurt her, even though it wasn't my intention. I just want her to be safe and happy," he said and he came to a realization. "Maybe I'm not right for her. I kept the truth from her, lied to her. She deserves better than me. She should be with someone who could live just as much as her. I can’t be with her forever, not to mention I still need to pay back the spirit who helped me. Maybe it’s better this way.”

“You’ve changed bro. You’ve become more moody and sad.”

The older boy smiled wearily. “Maybe it’s that growing up thing we heard about.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Nobody does.”

"Just talk to her. You made a mistake, but so what? It's not like she was honest with us from the start. I'm sure she still has feelings for you. And that bit about not being able to live as much as her and the price you have to pay? It’s stupid and if anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you. So, just confess to her,” Ezran said and Callum stared wide-eyed at him after his rant. "What? I can pretend to be a grown-up too."

Callum chuckled. "No, not pretend. You are already a grown-up. A fine one too."

“You know what I plan to do,” it wasn’t a question.

“Yes and I’m very proud of you. Mom and dad would be too,” he said before hugging his little brother close.

* * *

After saying goodbye to Ezran and Corvus, Callum and Rayla arrived at the border. Rayla explained how they are going to cross the river of lava. “With your speed, we’ll cross it in no time.”

“Yeah…about that…I’m not going to use my speed spell,” said Callum sheepishly.

“What? Why?” asked Rayla incredulously.

"Just trust me," he said, before realizing his mistake.

The former assassin narrowed her eyes. “You say that a lot. But how can I trust if you keep things from me?”

“You’re right. You have every right to be distrustful. I know I’ve kept things from you. But Rayla, everything I've done up to this point is to bring an end to this war and bring peace. So, please! Just trust me a little bit more. I promise I'll explain as soon as we can take a break."

Rayla sighed. He was right, of course. Not once up until this point in their journey, had Callum done something even remotely suspicious. Logically, there is no reason not to trust him. But more than, something else, something from the bottom of her soul, told her that he would never hurt her and that he will always be there for her. She didn’t understand what exactly it was, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. “Alright,” she said simply and kept moving.

Exactly like last time, dawn came and the path became unclear and just like last time, Zym took flight and covered the rising sun, giving them a chance to cross the river of lave unharmed. Rayla was so happy that she hugged Callum in excitement. When Rayla hugged him, Callum felt at ease and happy. He thought that he would never feel this way ever, but maybe there is still hope. His brother was right. He deserved some happiness, no matter how short. While Callum was content to stay in her embrace, he knew there was still a war to end and a dragon baby to return. And so they kept going until they step foot in the land of the Sunfire elves and came face to face with their guardian:

Sol Regem.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year guys! I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday! I know that this chapter is shorter than normal, but I intend to cover the journey up until Dragon's Peak in the next chapter. I also have an announcement to make. I recently watched RWBY and I got hooked. I intend to delve into the fandom soon enough.

Callum, Rayla, and Zym looked at the former King of Dragons, Sol Regem.

“That’s no ordinary dragon,” said Rayla.

“I know. But don’t worry, I came prepared,” Callum said and pulled several bracelets.

“What are those for?”

“I enhanced them with moon magic. They will cover our presence and we’ll be able to sneak past Sol Regem without a problem," Callum explained as he gave Rayla one bracelet and put the remaining ones on him and Zym.

“I don’t feel any different,” said Rayla.

"It won't work on me because I cast the spell and it won't work on Zym because he wears a bracelet too. But it will work on anyone else, trust me.”

“You say that a lot lately,” she mumbled, but Callum was able to hear it. The words stung Callum, but he said nothing. He resolved to tell her as soon as they passed Sol Regem.

As the group approached, Sol Regem didn’t turn his head in their direction. Despite this, Zym was still afraid of the large dragon and tried to flee, but Callum kept a firm grip on the baby dragon. “It’s alright Zym,” he whispered. “He won’t hurt you, I promise.” As they passed, Callum spared one last glance at the dragon that represented everything wrong with Xadia before leaving.

“We should rest for a bit,” he said after they were far away from Sol Regem, sitting down. “And I owe you an explanation.”

“Yeah, you do,” said Rayla as she also sat down

Callum sighed. “Rayla, there are a few things you must know. First off, I’m from the future.”

Rayla glared at him hard. “If you don’t want to tell me, you should just say so, not feed me some stupid lie!”

“I’m not lying. Rayla, I _am_ from the future. Runaan’s husband’s name is Ethari and your parents' names are Tiadrin and Lain.”

Rayla’s eyes grew wide. “How do you know that?”

“Because you told me. Also, how do you explain that I can do Primal Magic without a Primal Stone?”

Rayla’s eyes grew so wide that they looked like they were about to pop out. It would have been funny if the situation wasn’t so serious. “You are from the future,” she breathed.

Callum nodded. “I’ve made this journey with you before. And it didn’t end well.”

“What happened?” she asked, her anger and mistrust taking a back seat for now.

“We failed to deliver Zym in time. Viren got to the Dragon Queen before us and killed her. He ambushed us when we arrived. And he wasn’t alone. He was aided by a Startouch elf called Aavaros.”

“That’s awful!”

_The worst part is yet to come, _he thought and he swallowed the node that was forming in his throat. "There's more. We confronted them and during the fight, you…you…" he tried to speak, but his mind was replaying that horrifying moment when Rayla took the blast that was meant to kill him. Even now he could feel her cold body in his arms, hear Viren’s maniacal laughter, and see her beautiful eyes that were full of love and life gloss over. It’s too much for him to bear.

"Callum?" she said gently when he went silent. His head was lowered, but despite that, she could hear him sobbing. "Callum, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

“Rayla…you…you died. Viren killed you,” he let it out

Rayla was speechless. After all, what can you say when you just hear someone killed you. “I…I see,” she said eventually.

Ever since he came back in time, Callum had kept those feelings bottle up and now that he let them out, he couldn’t control them. So, in his pain and grief, he clung to Rayla with dear life. “Rayla, I’m sorry. I wasn’t strong enough to protect you. I’m so sorry,” he sobbed in her shoulder.

Rayla gently held him as he cried. “Shh, it's alright Callum. I'm here now," she said soothingly.

Callum sniffed. She was right, she's here now. And he won't allow anything to happen to her. He hugged her closer and took a moment to appreciate this closeness. Eventually, he pulled away but didn't break the embrace. "Thank you," he said sincerely. He took a deep breath before letting go. “We failed the first time because we didn’t arrive on time. We had to constantly avoid Sol Regem’s minions, we traveled only at night. Also, we were imprisoned by Moonshadow elves for almost a week. Not to mention it took us another to go around the Moonlight Desert. Things should be a little better now, though. We didn’t alert Sol Regem of our presence and his minions shouldn’t bother us.”

“I have some questions.”

He smirked. “I would be surprised if you didn’t. We can talk while we walk,” he said and stood up, offering his hand to Rayla, who accepted it.

“Where did you learn your magic?”

“The Sky Magic I learned from watching Claudia do it the first time, though I couldn’t do any of it without the Primal Stone. I unlocked the Sky Arcanum before crossing the border. Ethari helped me unlock Moon Arcanum, but couldn’t teach me any Moon Magic. Lujanne taught me most of her Moon Magic before we left the Moon Nexus during this timeline. I also learned a bit of Earth Magic from an Earthblood Elf we met when we were going around the Moonlight Desert. And I learned one Sun Magic from a Sunfire Elf when we passed their territory.”

“Why would the other Earthblood and Sunfire elves teach you any magic?”

“Because we had Zym with us. They believed us when we told them we wanted to end this war. They realized that not all humans are bad.”

“Why did you hide your powers when we were in Katolis? There were times when we could have used them.”

“There really wasn’t any need to use it. The only real danger we were was when we confronted Claudia and Soren near that border town. I also didn’t want to let Viren know what I was capable of. Though that plan went down the drain when Claudia and Soren saw me do magic. I couldn’t think of anything else I could do to save you. I could have tried Dark Magic, but I wasn’t sure I would survive the experience again.”

Rayla lowered her head. “I’m-“

“Don’t apologize,” he cut her off. “I don’t regret doing it. And I would do it again to save you. I would even do Dark Magic to save you.”

Rayla couldn't help but blush not necessarily at his words, but at how they were spoken. He said them without a trace of hesitation, with conviction. He would do it. For her, he would use Dark Magic. For her, he would die just to keep her safe. And as they walked she realized that she would do the same. She would give her life for him, just as she did the first time.

“Do you have any more questions?”

Rayla smiled. “No, no more questions.”

The duo kept walking in silence. As they walked Rayla’s hand brushed gently against Callum’s.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :)


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